Computer system and computer implemented method for translation of information into multiple media variations

ABSTRACT

A computer system displays one or more multiple media variations of information presences with a substantially same view or different view(s) to different users. The computer system includes at least one storage storing one or more of the substantially same view, and at least one user computer transmitting a user request for receiving the view. The computer system also includes at least one server, connectable to the storage and the user&#39;s computer, assigning a user type to each user, initializing the view on at least one information source, establishing for each user at least one media variation, and transmitting to each user the view responsive to a user request, the user type, and the at least one media variation. A method and computer memory product are also provided.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is generally related to computer systems andmethods of translating information into multiple media variations formultiple users who may need to look at the same, similar and/ordifferent information, and more specifically, to computer systems andcomputer implemented methods of translation of multiple simultaneous webinformation presences to present information to multiple users who mayneed to look at the same, similar and/or different information.

2. Background of the Related Art

There is a vast amount of information in the world today that isavailable by computer. For example, on the World Wide Web alone thereare millions of browsers and millions of web pages. In addition to theInternet, companies have set up local “intranets” for storing andaccessing data for running their organizations. However, the sheeramount of available information is posing increasingly more difficultchallenges to conventional approaches.

A major difficulty to overcome is that information relevant to a purposeof a user is often dispersed across the network at many sites. It isoften time-consuming for a user to visit all these sites. Oneconventional approach is a search engine. A search engine is actually aset of programs accessible at a network site within a network, forexample a local area network (LAN) at a company or the Internet andWorld Wide Web. One program, called a “robot” or “spider,” pre-traversesa network in search of documents and builds large index files ofkeywords found in the documents.

A user of the search engine formulates a query comprising one or morekeywords and submits the query to another program of the search engine.In response, the search engine inspects its own index files and displaysa list of documents that match the search query, typically ashyperlinks. When a user activates one of the hyperlinks to see theinformation contained in the document, the user exits the site of thesearch engine and terminates the search process.

Search engines, however, have their drawbacks. For example, a searchengine is oriented to discovering textual information only. Inparticular, they are not well-suited to indexing information containedin structured databases, e.g. relational databases, voice relatedinformation, audio related information, and the like. Moreover, mixingdata from incompatible data sources is difficult in conventional searchengines.

Another disadvantage with conventional search engines is that irrelevantinformation is aggregated with relevant information. For example, it isnot uncommon for a search engine on the World Wide Web to locatehundreds of thousands of documents in response to a single query. Manyof those documents are found because they coincidentally include thesame keyword in the search query. Sifting through search results in thethousands, however, is a daunting task.

As another example, a personnel administrator might be interested anemployee's choice of health plan, but an MIS administrator would be moreinterested in which computer the employee is using. Therefore, the userhas to sort out which documents and databases are relevant and which areirrelevant for a particular goal.

Unfortunately, conventional techniques are unable to present informationbased on, or catered for, the specific user receiving same. In addition,conventional techniques are unable to present different forms ofinformation to the user as retrieved from one or more informationsources. For example, existing content customization addresses onlyindividual interest and needs. Further, existing call center technologyaddresses the same set of information, for example, between the customerand the customer support agent.

We have discovered that different users are unable to examine multipleversions of information depending on the business objectives andrequired functionality. We have further discovered that multipleversions of information are not based on either user-selectable optionsor systems-defined privileges.

Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for different users toexamine multiple versions of information depending on the businessobjectives and required functionality, and/or personal preferences.There also exists a need in the art for multiple versions of informationto be accessible to different users based on either user-selectableoptions or systems-defined privileges.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome the above-detailed disadvantages and shortcomings of theprior art, it is a feature and advantage of the present invention toprovide different users the option of examining multiple versions ofinformation depending on the business objectives and requiredfunctionality, and/or personal preferences.

It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to providethe ability of multiple users to access multiple versions of informationbased on either user-selectable options or systems-defined privileges.

It is another feature and advantage of the present invention tosynchronize multiple web pages among customers, customer agents andhis/her manager, and billing agents.

The present invention manages relationships among electronic merchants,their customers/buyers and partners (e.g., clearing house, bankinstitutions) to allow different types of information be presented todifferent people based on their business functions (e.g., sales,customer support, billing), need to know requirements (e.g., executive,mid-level manager, internal, external), and business operation status(e.g., subscriber, visitor) and personal preferences (e.g., spreadsheet, graph).

Some of the additional features of the present invention are:

1. The invention addresses the multiple interests and needs within agroup or a community of interest on the Web.

2. The invention deals with multiple versions of the informationdisplayed to the user or customer and the customer support agent.

3. The invention captures and collects for both synchronization ofsimultaneous web views and translation of information into multiplemedia variations, the history of operation of the WebSychronizer/Translator.

4. For both synchronization of simultaneous web views and translation ofinformation into multiple media variations, the actual operation foreither the assembly of views or the translation/conversion amongmultiple media variations can occur either on-line or off-line, ateither the information source(s) or web synchronizer/translator.

In the attainment of the same, the present invention provides a methodof implementing, generating, and/or displaying, on a display device of acomputer system a translation method for multiple simultaneousinformation presences, web media or media. The present invention alsoincludes a computer system employing the method, a computer readablememory storing the medium, and a method for storing the translationprocess in a memory.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a computer systemdisplays one or more multiple media variations of information presenceswith a substantially same view to different users. The computer systemincludes at least one storage storing one or more of the substantiallysame view, and at least one user computer transmitting a user requestfor receiving the view. The computer system also includes at least oneserver, connectable to the storage and the user's computer, assigning auser type to each user, initializing the view on at least oneinformation source, establishing for each user at least one mediavariation, and transmitting to each user the view responsive to a userrequest and/or privilege, the user type, and the at least one mediavariation. A method and computer memory product are also provided.

A method and computer memory product are also provided. The computermemory stores, and a computer executes, a program including the aboveprocess steps.

A method and computer memory product are also provided. The computermemory stores, and a computer executes, a program including the aboveprocess steps.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofthat follows may be better understood, and in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course,additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafterand which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of theinvention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of construction and to thearrangements of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminologyemployed herein are for the purpose of description and should not beregarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially thescientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiarwith patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from acursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure ofthe application. The abstract is neither intended to define theinvention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is itintended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

The above objects of the invention, together with other apparent objectsof the invention, along with the various features of novelty whichcharacterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in theclaims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a betterunderstanding of the invention, its operating advantages and thespecific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to theaccompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there isillustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and theadvantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptionstaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which likenumbers designate like parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a high-level block diagram of a computer system and/ornetworked computer system with which the present invention can beimplemented;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a network in which the present invention can beimplemented;

FIG. 3 depicts a flow chart for the synchronization of multiplesimultaneous information presences with different views for adistributed on-line, and interactive environment in accordance with afirst embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 depicts a distributed on-line, and interactive environment inaccordance with the first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 depicts one example of a distributed on-line, and interactiveenvironment illustrated in FIG. 4, in accordance with the firstembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 depicts a flow chart for the translation of information intomultiple media variations with different views for a distributedon-line, and interactive environment in accordance with a secondembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 7 depicts a distributed on-line, and interactive environment inaccordance with the second embodiment of the invention.

NOTATIONS AND NOMENCLATURE

The detailed descriptions which follow may be presented in terms ofprogram procedures executed on a computer or network of computers. Theseprocedural descriptions and representations are the means used by thoseskilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of theirwork to others skilled in the art.

A procedure is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistentsequence of steps leading to a desired result. These steps are thoserequiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, thoughnot necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical ormagnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined,compared and otherwise manipulated. It proves convenient at times,principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals asbits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or thelike. It should be noted, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities.

Further, the manipulations performed are often referred to in terms,such as adding or comparing, which are commonly associated with mentaloperations performed by a human operator. No such capability of a humanoperator is necessary, or desirable in most cases, in any of theoperations described herein which form part of the present invention;the operations are machine operations. Useful machines for performingthe operation of the present invention include general purpose digitalcomputers or similar devices.

The present invention also relates to apparatus for performing theseoperations. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the requiredpurpose or it may different manners. In addition, the presentation of aview should allow multiple media variations of the presence for the sameview.

The definition of an information source includes a source component of aweb page, source components of a web page, a web page, web pages, a webserver, or multiple servers. An information source can contain manycomponents. The media formats of the components of these informationsources include text, audio, video, image, graphic, database, andassociated database objects. A view associated with an informationsource and/or information sources is defined as a collection of thecomponents of an information source and/or information sources. Aninformation presence is defined as, for example, a presentation of aview and/or views to the user.

The present invention manages relationships among electronic merchants,their customers/buyers and partners (e.g., clearing house, bankinstitutions) to allow different types of information be presented todifferent people based on their business functions (e.g., sales,customer support, billing), need to know requirements (e.g., executive,mid-level manager, internal, external), presentation preferences (e.g.,audio, video, graphics text) and business operation status (e.g.,subscriber, comprise a general purpose computer as selectively activatedor reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Theprocedures presented herein are not inherently related to a particularcomputer or other apparatus. Various general purpose machines may beused with programs written in accordance with the teachings herein, orit may prove more convenient to construct more specialized apparatus toperform the required method steps. The required structure for a varietyof these machines will appear from the description given.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

In a distributed, on-line and interactive environment, there aremultiple users who may need to look at the same, similar, and differentinformation. These users may access the information of the same ordifferent sources. No matter where the information is coming from, themultiple users should be able to examine multiple versions ofinformation depending on the business objectives, requiredfunctionality, and personal preference. These multiple versions ofinformation should also be based on either user-selectable options orsystems-defined privileges.

The present invention defines or describes what and how the Webinformation presences are coordinated, customized, and presented in thesame, similar, and visitor).

Features of the present invention include:

1. addressing multiple interests and needs within a group or a communityof interest on the Web.

2. managing multiple versions of the information between the user orcustomer and the customer support agent.

A method and apparatus for the synchronization of simultaneousinformation presences and/or multiple media variations is describedherein. In the following description, for purposes of explanation,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however,that the present invention may be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shownin block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring thepresent invention.

FIG. 1 is a high-level block diagram of a computer system with which thepresent invention can be implemented. FIG. 1 is a block diagram whichillustrates a computer system 100 upon which an embodiment of theinvention may be implemented. Computer system 100 includes a bus 102 orother communication mechanism for communicating information, and aprocessor 104 coupled with bus 102 for processing information. Computersystem 100 also includes a main memory 106, such as a random accessmemory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupled to bus 102 forstoring information and instructions to be executed by processor 104.Main memory 106 also may be used for storing temporary variables orother intermediate information during execution of instructions to beexecuted by processor 104. Computer system 100 further includes a readonly memory (ROM) 108 or other static storage device coupled to bus 102for storing static information and instructions for processor 104. Astorage device 110, such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, is providedand coupled to bus 102 for storing information and instructions.

Computer system 100 may be coupled via bus 102 to a display 112, such asa cathode ray tube (CRT), for displaying information to a computer user.An input device 114, including alphanumeric and other keys, is coupledto bus 102 for communicating information and command selections toprocessor 104. Another type of user input device is cursor control 116,such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicatingdirection information and command selections to processor 104 and forcontrolling cursor movement on display 112. This input device typicallyhas two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and asecond axis (e.g., y), which allows the device to specify positions in aplane.

The invention is related to the use of computer system 100 inconjunction with or as an information presence synchronizer/translatorto display multiple media variation presences to different users and/ormultiple media variations. According to one embodiment of the invention,computer system 100 performs the synchronization in response toprocessor 104 executing sequences of instructions contained in mainmemory 106. Such instructions may be read into main memory 106 fromanother computer-readable medium, such as storage device 110.

However, the computer-readable medium is not limited to devices such asstorage device 110. For example, the computer-readable medium mayinclude a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or anyother magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards,paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, aPROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, acarrier wave embodied in an electrical, electromagnetic, infrared, oroptical signal, or any other medium from which a computer can read.

Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory 106causes processor 104 to perform the process steps previously described.In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place ofor in combination with software instructions to implement the invention.Thus, embodiments of the invention are not limited to any specificcombination of hardware circuitry and software.

Computer system 100 also includes a communication interface 118 coupledto bus 102. Communication interface 108 provides a two-way datacommunication coupling to a network link 120 that is connected to alocal network 122. For example, communication interface 118 may be anintegrated services digital network (ISDN) card or a modem to provide adata communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line.As another example, communication interface 118 may be a local areanetwork (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to acompatible LAN. Wireless links may also be implemented. In any suchimplementation, communication interface 118 sends and receiveselectrical, electromagnetic or optical signals which carry digital datastreams representing various types of information.

Network link 120 typically provides data communication through one ormore networks to other data devices. For example, network link 120 mayprovide a connection through local network 122 to a host computer 124 orto data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 126.ISP 126 in turn provides data communication services through the worldwide packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the“Internet” 128. Local network 122 and Internet 128 both use electrical,electromagnetic or optical signals which carry digital data streams. Thesignals through the various networks and the signals on network link 120and through communication interface 118, which carry the digital data toand from computer system 100, are exemplary forms of carrier wavestransporting the information.

Computer system 100 can send messages and receive data, includingprogram code, through the network(s), network link 120 and communicationinterface 118. In the Internet example, a client browser 140 mighttransmit a requested code for an application program through Internet128, ISP 126, local network 122 and communication interface 118. Inaccordance with the invention, one such downloaded application providesfor the synchronization method as described herein.

The received code may be executed by processor 104 as it is received,and/or stored in storage device 110, or other non-volatile storage forlater execution. In this manner, computer system 100 may obtainapplication code in the form of a carrier wave.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a network in which the present invention can beimplemented. Referring to FIG. 2, depicted is a network 200 within whichthe present invention may be implemented. A web server 220 according toone embodiment of the present invention gathers information dynamicallyfrom one or more data sources, which may be located at different serversand may have incompatible formats, and outputs the information for theuser according to predetermined criteria discussed below.

The predetermined criteria may be defined by human operators accordingto their own needs, purposes, and preferences as part of theconfiguration of the server. Alternatively, the predetermined criteriamay be determined based on system-defined user privileges or userpreferences. For example, users with a higher clearance, security and/orseniority level may be able to obtain more information than users with alower clearance, security, level. Multiple information models and visualrepresentations may be defined for any server.

A user may access the web server 220 by executing a web browser atclient 210 or client 250. Web browsers are well-known in the art, andare readily available from such corporations as Netscape CommunicationsCorp. and Microsoft Corp. In order to access the web server 220, theuser at client browser 210 activates a hyperlink having a URL (UniformResource Locator). Client 210 and client 250 will generally request thesame URL, but will receive different views.

In the exemplary URL, the network address of the web server 220 isspecified as “www.server.com” and the portion of the URL after thequestion mark (?) hold user specified parameters. When the hyperlink isactivated, the web server 220 receives a request to initiate an session,specified by parameters embedded in the URL. In response, the web server220 gathers information from one or more data sources.

The data or information sources can have incompatible formats, e.g. webpage, relational database, spreadsheet, text file, etc. The data sourcescan be stored at a plurality of sites, for example, locally with respectto the web server 220, such as a hard disk at local storage 222, orexternally at another site in the network, e.g. at mainframe 230. Infact, the data source can even be another, remote information web server240.

FIG. 3 depicts a flow chart for the synchronization of multiplesimultaneous information presences with different views for adistributed on-line, and interactive environment in accordance with afirst embodiment of the invention. As illustrated in FIG. 3, in Step S2,the different views are setup on website, for example, View A1, View A2,and View A3, View A1′, View A2′, or View A3′ illustrated in FIG. 4. Therelationship between the views is then established in Step S4. Forexample, View A has three views A1, A2, and A3.

In Step S6, a user type is assigned to each kind of user: User 1, User2, User 3. The view is then set in the Web Synchronizer/Translator,e.g., the same or another computer that performs the synchronizationdescribed herein. In addition, in Step S6, each user is prompted orassigned a view. For example, View A1—User 1, View A2—User 2, and ViewA3—User 3. In Step S10, a person logs-on and is assigned or selects usertype, for example, User 1. In Step S12, user 1 requests View A, in StepS14, user 1 receives View A1.

In Step S16, a second person logs-on and is assigned or selects a usertype, for example, User 2, when, for example, an additional user logson. In Step S18, User 2 requests, for example, View A, and in Step S20User 2 receives, for example, View A2. The process then continues onwith other user requests in Step S22, and control is then returned toStep S10 for a similar process. The specific view presented to the useris based on predetermined criteria, such as, user selectable options(before or after logon), system-defined privileges, and the like.

FIG. 4 depicts a distributed on-line, and interactive environment inaccordance with the first embodiment of the invention. The informationsources 310, 312 can be identified as a web page, web pages, a webserver or multiple web servers. The components of these informationsources can be text-based, audio-based, video-based, image-based,graphic-based, and, in general, multimedia-based.

Web presence synchronizer 300 provides the necessary presences for theusers, e.g., users 302, 304, 306 and/or 308. The present inventionallows the coordination, customization, and presentation of the Webinformation presences with the same view, similar views, or differentviews to the users depending on user selectable options and/or systemdefined privileges. Web presence synchronizer 300 may comprise, forexample, a separate computer, the same computer, or part of one or moreof the Web server computers described above.

FIG. 5 depicts one example of a distributed on-line, and interactiveenvironment illustrated in FIG. 4, in accordance with the firstembodiment of the invention. In FIG. 5, the Internet/Web on-line andinteractive operating environment includes, for example, multiple clientbrowsers. The multiple client browsers may access a web server whichcontains specific (business operation) information such as customersupport material and sales campaign schedules. The information from thesources 310 a, 312 a to the clients 302 a, 304 a, 306 a, 308 a ispresented on the clients' browsers based on the specific instructions orpredetermined criteria.

The specific instructions or predetermined criteria can be eitherprovided by the clients for the user interest (this can be either beforeor after the user logon procedures) or configured by the systemsadministrators and/or decision makers for the policy concerns (security,access control, priorities). FIG. 5 describes the situation where thecustomer 302 a, customer agents 306 a and their manager 308 a, andbilling agent 304 a are provided with different web pages for theircorresponding needs stored in the information sources/web server 310 a,312 a by the Web presence synchronizer 300. The method of thecustomization and presentation of the information is applicable formultiple web servers. Thus, the invention described herein in accordancewith this first embodiment is the synchronization/translation ofmultiple web pages among customer, customer agent and his/her manager,and billing agent.

FIG. 6 depicts a flow chart for the translation of information intomultiple media variations with different views for a distributedon-line, and interactive environment in accordance with a secondembodiment of the invention. In FIG. 6, the Web Synchronizer receivesView A which is text in Step S30. View A can be received, for example,as text, and either stored as text and translated when requested, ortranslated immediately into views and then stored. In Step S32, eachkind of user is assigned a user type, e.g., User 1, User 2, User 3, User4. In Step S34, the presentation is set in the WebSynchronizer/Translator. Each user is prompted for or assigned a view,e.g., Video—User 1, Audio—User 2 Graphics—User 3, Text—User 4, or acombination of these views.

A Person logs-on and is assigned or selects a user type, e.g., User 1,in Step S36, and a user, for example, User 1 requests View A in StepS38. View A is converted to, for example, video and User 1 receives thevideo presentation of View A in Step S40. In Step S42, a second personthat may log-on the Web server is assigned or selects a user type, e.g.,User 2. User 2 requests View A in Step S44, and the Websynchronizer/translator converts or retrieves View A to Audio which isthen received by User 2 as an Audio Presentation of View A in Step S46.The process then continues on with other user request in Step S48, andcontrol is returned to Step S36. Note that the translation/conversionamong multiple media variations can occur either on-line or off-line, ateither the information source(s) or web synchronizer/translator.

FIG. 7 depicts a distributed on-line, and interactive environment inaccordance with the second embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 7, theInternet/Web on-line and interactive operating environment includes, forexample, multiple client browsers. The multiple client browsers mayaccess a web server which contains specific information or predeterminedcriteria for presenting the view to the clients in a predeterminedformat. The type of information, e.g., video, text, audio, and the like,from the sources 310 b, 312 b to the clients 302 b, 304 b, 306 b, 308 bis presented on the clients' browsers based on the specific instructionsor predetermined criteria.

The specific instructions or predetermined criteria can be eitherprovided by the clients for the user interest (this can be either beforeor after the user logon procedures) or configured by the systemsadministrators and/or decision makers for the policy concerns (security,access control, priorities). FIG. 7 describes the situation where thecustomer 302 b, customer agents 306 b and their manager 308 b, andbilling agent 304 b are provided with different types of information webpages, e.g., video, text, audio, and the like, for their correspondingneeds stored in the information sources/web server 310 b, 312 b by theWeb presence synchronizer/translator 300.

The method of the customization and presentation of the information isapplicable for multiple web servers. Thus, the invention describedherein in accordance with this second embodiment is the translation ofmultiple web pages in different types of information among, e.g.,customer, customer agent and his/her manager, and billing agent. Thepresentation of a view allows multiple media variations of the presencefor the same view as shown in FIG. 7. The text view of the informationsources 310 b, 312 b can be presented to the users in text, audio, videoand graphic forms.

The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from thedetailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claimsto cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fallwithin the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, sincenumerous modifications and variations will readily occur to thoseskilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to theexact construction and operation illustrated and described, andaccordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resortedto, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of transmitting for display one or more multiple media variations of information presences with at least one of a substantially same view and different views to different users using a computer, comprising the steps of: (a) assigning a user type to each user; (b) initializing at least one view on at least one information source; (c) establishing for each user at least one media variation; (d) transmitting to each user the view responsive to a user request, based upon the user type assigned in said assigning step (a), and the at least one media variation established in said establishing step (c).
 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein each of the one or more multiple media variations comprises at least one of audio and video.
 3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said assigning step (a) assigns the user type automatically based upon predetermined criteria including at least one of system defined criteria or user defined criteria.
 4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said assigning step (a) assigns the user type automatically based upon predetermined criteria including system defined criteria that includes system privileges.
 5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said assigning step (a) assigns the user type automatically based upon predetermined criteria including user defined criteria that includes user selectable options defined at least one of before or after log-on.
 6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said method is implemented in a distributed on-line, and interactive environment for the display of the one or more multiple media variations of the information presences with the at least one of the substantially same view and the different views to the different users.
 7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said method is implemented in a distributed on-line, and interactive environment including multiple client browsers for the display of the one or more multiple media variations of the information presences with the at least one of the substantially same view and different views to the different users.
 8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the multiple client browsers are capable of accessing a web server storing information.
 9. A method according to claim 7, wherein the multiple client browsers are capable of accessing a web server storing information including customer support material and sales campaign schedules.
 10. A method according to claim 1, wherein said initializing step (b) includes the step of initializing the at least one view including testing on the at least one information source.
 11. A method according to claim 1, wherein said establishing step (c) includes the step of establishing for each user at least one media variation including at least one of text, data, and graphic forms of data.
 12. A computer system for display of one or more multiple media variations of information presences with at least one of a substantially same view and different views to different users, comprising: at least one storage device for storing one or more of the at least one substantially same view and different views or a request translation of the views; at least one user computer transmitting a user request for receiving the view; and at least one server, connectable to said at least one storage device and said at least one user computer, for assigning a user type to each user, initializing the at least one view on at least one information source, establishing for each user at least one media variation, and transmitting to each user the view responsive to a user request, based upon the user type, and the at least one media variation.
 13. A computer program memory, storing computer instructions to provide for display one or more multiple media variations of information presences with at least one view including at least one of a substantially same view and different views to different users using a computer, the computer instructions including: (a) assigning a user type to each user; (b) initializing the at least one view on at least one information source; (c) establishing for each user at least one media variation; (d) transmitting to each user the view responsive to a user request, based upon the user type assigned in said assigning step (a), and the at least one media variation established in said establishing step (c).
 14. A computer memory according to claim 13, wherein each of the one or more multiple media variations comprises at least one of audio and video.
 15. A computer memory according to claim 13, wherein said assigning (a) assigns the user type automatically based upon predetermined criteria including at least one of system defined criteria or user defined criteria.
 16. A computer memory according to claim 13, wherein said assigning (a) assigns the user type automatically based upon predetermined criteria including system defined criteria that includes system privileges.
 17. A computer memory according to claim 13, wherein said assigning (a) assigns the user type automatically based upon predetermined criteria including user defined criteria that includes user selectable options defined at least one of before or after log-on.
 18. A computer memory according to claim 13, wherein said method is implemented in a distributed on-line, and interactive environment for the display of the one or more multiple media variations of the information presences with the at least one of the substantially same view and different views to the different users.
 19. A computer memory according to claim 13, wherein said method is implemented in a distributed on-line, and interactive environment including multiple client browsers for the display of the one or more multiple media variations of the information presences with the at least one of the substantially same view and the different views to the different users.
 20. A computer memory according to claim 19, wherein the multiple client browsers are capable of accessing a web server storing information.
 21. A computer memory according to claim 19, wherein the multiple client browsers are capable of accessing a web server storing information including customer support material and sales campaign schedules.
 22. A computer memory according to claim 13, wherein said initializing instruction (b) includes the step of initializing the view including testing the information source.
 23. A computer memory according to claim 13, wherein said establishing instruction (c) includes the step of establishing for each user at least one media variation including at least one of text, data, and graphic forms of data.
 24. The method according to claim 1, wherein said initializing step (b) is performed before said user request is formulated.
 25. The method according to claim 1, wherein different views are transmitted responsive to the same user request, based upon at least one of different assigned user types and different established media variations.
 26. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user request is formulated independently of the assigned user type.
 27. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one media variation is established independently of the user request.
 28. The method according to claim 6, wherein the distributed on-line, and interactive environment comprises the Internet, and the user request comprises a single URL request.
 29. The computer memory according to claim 13, wherein said initializing instruction (b) is performed before said user request is formulated.
 30. The computer memory according to claim 13, wherein different views are transmitted responsive to the same user request, based upon at least one of different assigned user types and different established media variations.
 31. The computer memory according to claim 13, wherein the user request is formulated independently of the assigned user type.
 32. The computer memory according to claim 13, wherein the at least one media variation is established independently of the user request.
 33. The computer memory according to claim 18, wherein the distributed on-line, and interactive environment comprises the Internet, and the user request comprises a single URL request. 